1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to the collection of body tissue samples containing, for example, DNA, from human casualties and disposing an identifier on the body or body part.
2. Description of Related Art
Note that where the following discussion refers to a number of publications by author(s) and year of publication, that due to recent publication dates certain publications are not to be considered as prior art vis-a-vis the present invention. Discussion of such publications herein is given for more complete background and is not to be construed as an admission that such publications are prior art for patentability determination purposes.
Casualties of such events as natural disasters, terrorism, and battles often are not identifiable. DNA-based human identity tests are powerful. However, there is no rapid, accurate, and safe means for the collection of DNA samples from casualties. The positive identification of disaster casualties is cumbersome at best. The terrorist attacks on Sep. 11, 2001 in New York, the recent Indonesian tsunami, and hurricane Katrina are examples of the difficulties faced by disaster response teams. DNA analysis is relied upon in routinely and positively identifying victims, casualties, and remains. However, in most cases, the fragile nature of DNA limits its cost effective application of DNA sampling and testing. The collection of samples from corpses in a decayed state also poses serious logistical concerns and poses a biohazard risk to the sample collector.
The following excerpt from USA Today, Jan. 13, 2005, D. Leinwand, illustrates the problem:                “Thousands of bodies of tsunami victims are in Buddhist temples across southern Thailand. Most are stacked five high on wooden racks in refrigerated shipping containers. Some are buried near the temples in rows of shallow graves, where cooler temperatures stave off decomposition and maggots can't survive. But for many days before their graves were dug, they lay on the temples' concrete floors in 90-degree heat, which accelerated decomposition and complicated efforts to identify them . . . Behind the screens, Thai bodies have been laid out on concrete slabs as technicians go from corpse to corpse, tagging them with a number, noting their distinctive features and hacking off a piece of bone or extracting a tooth for a DNA sample. On the international side, bodies are placed on steel trays on examination tables. The technicians, doctors and volunteers wear white-plastic suits and gloves and must be decontaminated when they leave the area . . . ”        
There is no suitable tissue collection device that can simultaneously tag the body of a victim with an identifier that links the body to the tissue sample to be used for DNA isolation. The potential for decomposition of the DNA in corpses requires sampling tissue such as bone marrow that is most likely to remain undenatured. There is a need for such an apparatus and method.